Airstream>>

I went to the Pomona RV show this week and looked closely at the 19' to 23' models. Compared to my Micro Lite 21DS (18' box), the Airstreams I looked at fell short in several areas.

The outside storage is almost non-existent. There is no room to store a couple of folding chairs or even a small BBQ. The inside storage is also very limited compared to traditional TTs.

The queen size 'walk-around' bed in the 23FB model is a joke. One side of the bed is only a few inches away from the wall and it's impossible to get in and out from that side of the bed. The refrigerators are also smaller than those found in comparable size traditional TTs. The 20' model has a 4 cu/ft fridge and the 23' has a 5 cu/ft. My 21DS comes with a 6 cu/ft fridge. For such an expensive trailer, I was surprised they don't even have ducted A/C.

As you already know, the Airstreams don't have slideouts, hence the interior feels very cramped compared to TTs with slideouts. This is very noticeable in the smaller trailers.

Airtreams are very nice trailers but very impractical for some of the reasons I stated above. Would I pay more than twice as much for an Airstream with less room and less features than a comparable traditional TT? No.

In my opinion, Airtream sells status symbols at status symbol prices.

Depends on where you live...as hail is an extremely common occurrence here,

I previously lived in Denver. I understand thunderstorms and hail. In that area hail is a greater concern than in some other parts of the nation. Nothing I said mitigates the fact that a TT can be damaged by hail. Just what is the real risk and how to mitigate it? I like torsion axles, like hydraulic disk brakes for stopping quickly, like timeless designs, and no rubber roof or fiberglass to delam. But, that is just me. I really really like to still have a very servicable tariler after the payments are all made. That is more important to me than hail. More important than outside storage or the curved interior. As to the poster concerning the wood floor in an Airstream, it probably is a weak point from the standpoint of longevity. What travel trailer does not use wood for floors? In some ways it is a moot issue today until a manufacturer makes a coach without wood floors.

Obviously Airstreams are not for everybody. People should get what they want. I am good with that. I was just responding to the hail issue that I was asked my opinion on. And I can't imagine hail not damaging the cheap plastic vents, skylights, tank vents, antennas etc. that are on the roof of any RV including Lances. When the pervious posters Lance needs a new rubber roof it may cost more than the entire coach is worth. It just moves the costs of the roof from fixing it now due to hail to fixing it later due to design obsolence. Pay now or pay later. I hope he is happy with his Lance in 12-15 years.

As to slideouts, AS made some models with them during in the mid 2000's.

Depends on where you live...as hail is an extremely common occurrence here, Spring through Fall. The way to mitigate around that is to have covered storage. I had reasonably priced covered storage in OR but moving back to CO I found covered storage is a very expensive solution because of the frequency of damaging hail as well as the seasonal snow in this area. It was rare to ever get hail in OR.

So again, depends where one lives what is most important to them.

As to the mention of slides...in the past few years since I stepped foot in an Airsteam TT at a show, I have yet to find any Airstream TT with slides offered including on their own web page. I have heard Airstream did at one time offer a TT with a slide...but not now???

Anyway, best to actually tour an Airstream and draw your own conclusion. I found them to be cramped/crowded with a sterile design to them. Just wasn't appealing to me and my family.

I agree with jmtandem. Hail is a reality but shouldn't be the reason not to get an Airstream. I live in an area where damaging hail is a rarity but it still remains my constant fear. I suppose that is why I have insurance against such damage.

Look, Airstreams like all other trailers have their advantages and disadvantages. They are smaller on the inside and they do not have as much storage as the big white box. I find that there is plenty of storage on the inside and almost none with exterior access. They are very expensive but, if you look at it as an investment, you will retain more of your initial involvement when it comes time to trade or sell.

I bought mine slightly used in 2009 and paid market price. By today's market values my trailer is worth about 90% of what I paid. I doubt that you could say this about the typical trailer that is 9 years old. So, expensive, yes. But only when you consider the initial outlay. If you can swing that then I submit that things are more equal than you might want to admit. Buying new always makes things worse if you want to recoup as much of your investment as you can.

OH, and don't forget, a happy wife makes a happy life.

JMtandem, How well the AS stands to hail damage. I had a guy that told he owns an AS and the downsize to it is when it hail what is your opinion on this ?

My assessment on hail damage? Anything can get damaged. Hail, tree limbs falling on a trailer in a big wind, floods, accidents, backing into a site and hitting something, etc. Nobody buys a trailer thinking they will damage it or it will get damaged. We purchase to use and enjoy it. Insurance (and in some cases common sense) is what allows us to use the trailers of any brand with minimal worry about accidents or acts of God like a severe thunderstorm with hail and strong winds. My opinion is to get what you want and enjoy it. If it gets damaged you have insurance. If not you have the trailer you want with all the benefits that the brand brings to your enjoyment. Facts support Airstream's longevity (apart from accidents and nature's damage) and many that have them would not have anything else. I am looking at getting an Airstream for all the benefits that I believe they have over the standard box trailer. My second choice would be an Arctic Fox as they seem to be well built albeit heavy.

We drive trucks and cars and if hail damages them we go get another. We don't go shopping for a truck or SUV that can survive hail damage, or a tree branch falling on it, tornadoes, or floods or fire, etc. It is all relative to the situation and risk factor involved. Insurance covers what we can't mitigate using common sense.
What is the statistical allocation (real risk) of your trailer getting damaged by hail? Probably very low. But if you are real unlucky you have insurance. Understanding real risk always trumps fear. Fear often drives our decisions.

I live in western Nevada. We have wind. So much that the great American author Mark Twain in his book Roughing It refered to the winds as the 'Washoe Zephyrs'. It can blow 90-100+ mph at times. It is dangerous and blows over trucks. It damages RV's. A gentle summer breeze can be 40-50 mph. We don't like it but live with it, understand the risks, and try to mitigate them. It doesn't stop us from doing what we want with our RV's. If we all look at thunderstorms the same way we can enjoy them without excessive worry.

That is my opinion on hail damage. What is yours?

jmtandem wrote:

Thank goodness for fiberglass and rubber roofs.

Are you kidding? I would much rather not have fiberglass sides and rubber roofs. That is one beauty of an Airstream.... no rubber roof to wear out or sidewall delam. Torsion axles are another. Proven longevity another. Aluminum Airstreams will outlast (outside of damage and anything can get damaged even rubber and fiberglass) any other trailer; on a life cycle cost basis is perhaps the least expensive trailer available for it's size and quality proven by real world experience with two thirds of all Airstreams ever made since the 1930's still in use; and with the timeless design wont go out of style in a couple years nor do they have gaudy graphics that seem to be the norm for so many modern trailers today. Give me that Airstream any day. At least it will last longer than the payments.

JMtandem, How well the AS stands to hail damage. I had a guy that told he owns an AS and the downsize to it is when it hail what is your opinion on this ?

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
Make sure you can stand up in the Airstream. I cannot especially with the rounded roof line.

I am 5'5" so I should be ok..

Thank goodness for fiberglass and rubber roofs.

Are you kidding? I would much rather not have fiberglass sides and rubber roofs. That is one beauty of an Airstream.... no rubber roof to wear out or sidewall delam. Torsion axles are another. Proven longevity another. Aluminum Airstreams will outlast (outside of damage and anything can get damaged even rubber and fiberglass) any other trailer; on a life cycle cost basis is perhaps the least expensive trailer available for it's size and quality proven by real world experience with two thirds of all Airstreams ever made since the 1930's still in use; and with the timeless design wont go out of style in a couple years nor do they have gaudy graphics that seem to be the norm for so many modern trailers today. Give me that Airstream any day. At least it will last longer than the payments.

We just experienced a very bad hail storm. My RV (Lance) sustained some damage to the Diamond plate front, but not a scratch anywhere else.
A couple of spaces down from my TT was a newer 2012 22ft Airstream (probably in the 80k price range) Looked like 100 Elves spent the night with baseball bats beating it to death. My insurance agent said it was probably totalled!, or in the tens of thousands to repair.
Thank goodness for fiberglass and rubber roofs.